Ajak Deng Quits Modelling & Nykhor Paul Blames Industry Racism

Posted On 25 Feb 2016 / 0 Comment

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Top Sudanese model Ajak Deng took to her Instagram yesterday, to announce that she is quitting modelling having had enough of “the fakes and the lies” – a move regarded to be linked to the industry’s diversity problems and Deng also having had enough of being overlooked by her white colleagues.

The beauty, who has graced the ramp for many top labels, including Louis Vuitton, Valentino and Lanvin, and starred in campaigns for Marc Jacobs, and Kenzo, wrote:

“I am happy to announce that I am officially done with the fashion industry, I will be moving back to Australia in order to live the life that I fully deserved. Which is real life.

“I am sad to lose one of the most beautiful top models from my country because of these ignorant people in fashion who forgot what a fashion show consist of. We need variety in the runways and magazines because this shit is getting boring!!!

Though Ajak’s post didn’t address racism directly, the model has also been highly vocal online in the past – once posting to Twitter (before deleting her account) about being booked then cut from a show;

“This is how it feels when you get kicked out of Balmain for being Black and that their [sic] didn’t invited you. Fuck you and fuck you. Balamin.”

The stunner also told Australian Vogue in an interview that supermodel Alek Wek had advised her that;

“This industry can be really hard, but all you’ve got to do is just think of it as something you’ve already started and you really want to finish. You don’t want to quit in the middle of it, so just don’t quit.”

– concluding herself that;

“I’m definitely not going to give up until I see where this is going to end.”

“They’ll book the big Caucasian girls, spend the big dollars, and fly them in from L.A., but I’m yet to see them book a dark-skinned girl in that way.”

While the model advises her followers to “put your best foot forward” and commented that she is “thankful and grateful for every [one of the] sweet souls that I have crossed path with,” Team SPICE think it’s the industry that needs to think about the steps it takes next in these times of change, when models and professionals are openly calling out racism.